Holidays for Couples Holidays for Couples Apr-Sep 2017 - Page 25

cool hotels // wanderlust
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
Quirky accommodation from around the world
Hotel
Marqués
De Riscal,
Elciego,
Spain
The architect who
turned around the fortunes
of the city of Bilbao with his
spectacular Guggenheim
Museum has designed only
one hotel, and this unorthodox
beauty is it. A shining titanium-
roofed creation set amongst the
vineyards of Rioja, the Hotel
Marqués de Riscal simultaneously
stands out and meshes with the
landscape, its sinuous silver and
pink ribbon shapes reminiscent
of the flow of wine from a bottle.
Wake up in lush countryside to
a view of vines stretching into
the distance, wine and dine in
the excellent Michelin-starred
restaurant or take time out in the
spa, where treatments include
vinotherapy, using the essence
of grapes to soothe and nourish
the skin. If you want to discover
European wines, there’s no better
place to start than here in Rioja.
hotel-marquesderiscal.com
The Hobbit
Motel,
Woodlyn
Park,
Waitomo,
New Zealand
You don ‘ t have to have giant
hairy feet to stay here, but it
helps. Come sleep in the Shire,
less than an hour from the ‘real‘
Hobbiton movie set, where Peter
Jackson filmed the domestic
scenes with Bilbo Baggins.
Here, just two minutes from the
famous Waitomo Glowworm
Caves, these cosy Hobbit-inspired
rooms are built into the earth,
with little round windows, and
everything has been created from
recycled and natural materials
just like Bilbo‘s joint.
woodlynpark.co.nz
The
Beermoth,
Inverness-
shire,
Scotland
Perched on a hillside on the
Inshriach Estate on the fringes
of Cairngorm National Park, this
ruggedly handsome old 1950s fire
truck has been fashioned with love
into a cosy little love-nest for two.
In a previous incarnation it served
as a booze truck at music festivals,
hence the name, but these days
the canvas-sided vehicle has a
log-burning stove, oak parquet
flooring rescued from a Tudor
mansion, and a big vintage brass
bed. With fine views and fresh
Highland air by the lungful, this
is a genuinely oddball weekend
stay for nature lovers looking for
something a little bit different.
And as a happy bonus, there‘s
a gin distillery nearby, too. Cheers.
canopyandstars.co.uk
Palacio de
Sal, Uyuni,
Bolivia
Set on the vast
salt flats of Salar
de Uyuni, the Palacio de Sal
(the Salt Palace) is constructed
entirely from blocks of salt,
bound and sealed with salt water.
That goes for the interiors too,
where all the furniture is also
created from solid salt. Sound
a tad uncomfortable? You
couldn’t be more wrong, the
rooms are very comfortable and
well appointed. This is a mystical,
otherworldly landscape that looks
like a frozen waste, but in actual
fact is a desert of salt crystals
interrupted by the occasional
rump of island covered in cactus.
The legacy of a prehistoric lake,
once a year it is covered in a thin
layer of water, turning it into a
large surreal mirror where land
and sky are joined unbroken.
Best of all, Palacio de Sal is
remote and devoid of light
pollution, so at night there are
clear views of a thousand stars
flung across the inky sky.
And apparently, there are pink
flamingos, too. Unsurprisingly,
perhaps, Palacio de Sal is the
first salt hotel in the world.
palaciodesal.com.bo
Udang
House,
Bali,
Indonesia
A stay at the Udang (meaning
shrimp) House, near Ubud,
is your chance to sleep in a
unique room built above a
natural pond with a glass floor.
Part of the impressive eco-luxe
Bambu Indah Estate, the
tempered glass-bottomed suite
reveals an underwater tableau
of pond life that is spectacularly
illuminated at night. The private
verandah has views over the
Sayan Valley and is the perfect
spot to spend languid afternoons
enjoying the cool breeze and the
sounds of tumbling water. At
night, guests can gather under
a magical Bali moon and marvel
at myriad stars twinkling above.
Old shrimp pots converted into
lamps are a nice Balinese touch,
adding to the old-world fishing
village atmosphere.
bambuindah.com
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